Choose Chase Mode when you want to skip the story setup and enter the hunt. The official FATHOM description names it as the direct alternative to Story Mode. Current public material does not provide a fixed round timer, objective count, or win-condition list, so read the live Chase screen before moving.
The mode is useful for learning Grinsworth under pressure. Set one practice goal per run: control sound, keep a retreat open, use the grapple deliberately, save a camera flash for a close threat, or enter a locker without bringing noise with you.
Prepare before the hunt begins
Check the current objective and inventory as soon as the mode loads. Do not assume a video from another server shows the same item placement or objective. Public first-party descriptions confirm that items and objectives exist, but they do not promise fixed locations.
For a group, assign one player to read the goal and another to call the retreat. Choose a short silence signal. Grinsworth hears footsteps, chat, and microphone voice, so four players talking over one another can create the very problem the callout is trying to solve.
Solo players should turn around after entering each new area and remember the last clear landmark. A chase route is only useful if you can recognize it while moving in the opposite direction.
Manage sound as a resource
Silence in FATHOM is more than muting a microphone. The official experience page names footsteps and chat as detectable input. Avoid unnecessary movement while deciding, and do not paste messages during a close pursuit.
Use voice for compact information: threat direction, tool spent, objective found, and regroup location. Long reactions or repeated names are risky. If the team wants open conversation, keep it for a safe reset rather than the moment Grinsworth is searching nearby.
The exact hearing radius and memory duration are not publicly documented. Do not rely on a claimed number. Watch how Grinsworth reacts in the current server and change only one sound source when testing behavior.
Choose the correct escape tool
Use the grapple when you can see a valid destination that creates distance. It is a movement answer, not a substitute for knowing where you are going. A stronger grapple pass is officially described as reaching 50% farther and pulling 50% faster, but the base tool still needs a clear route.
Use the camera flash when Grinsworth is in a useful angle and the interruption gives you somewhere to move. Spending flashes at long range may leave none for a forced close encounter. Starter Pack adds two extra flashes every run, but extra charges do not fix poor timing.
Use a locker when you can break the chase and become quiet. Do not crowd the same hiding area or continue voice discussion inside. The developer’s instruction is direct: hide in a locker and do not make a sound.
Keep the party from collapsing
Move with enough spacing to avoid blocking a doorway but close enough to share the objective. If a player is chased, the rest of the group should not all run into the same route. Protect the objective area and keep a known regroup point.
Announce a camera flash or grapple use once, then stop talking. Other players need to know which answer is gone, not hear a full replay of the chase. If someone is lost, use landmarks rather than constant voice directions.
Shove is a paid tool described as pushing players and working in Story, Chase, and Nightmare. It can affect group spacing, but it is not proof that pushing teammates is a safe or cooperative strategy. Use it only with a clear reason and avoid creating a death in a narrow escape.
Recover after a failed Chase run
Separate the loss into sound, route, tool timing, visibility, or team spacing. Choose one correction for the next run. If the route failed, walk it before triggering pressure. If sound failed, shorten callouts. If the flash failed, change range or angle instead of spending it earlier.
Do not buy a pass immediately after one bad attempt. Radar can show Grinsworth, items, and objectives in Story and Chase. Night Vision improves dark visibility. Those are real conveniences, but they cannot choose an escape route or make the team quiet.
If a public guide claims a fixed round rule that does not match your screen, follow the current screen. Chase is update-sensitive, and first-party public material currently leaves its detailed objective and reward structure open.
Decide whether to switch modes
Stay in Chase when the group wants immediate pursuit or targeted practice. Switch to Story when you want Chapter 1 progression, ending badges, and automatic saved progress. If the team keeps failing because it lacks context for tools and sound, a slower Story session may teach the same mechanics with clearer objectives.
Nightmare is known to exist because official pass descriptions name it. Radar and Night Vision are disabled there, while Shove still works. Do not assume those product limits describe every Nightmare rule; difficulty, lives, rewards, and unlock conditions still need live confirmation.
Related help
- Sound and Voice Chat for a quiet-team protocol.
- Tools and Items for confirmed functions and pass supplies.
- Solo or Multiplayer for party-size decisions.
- Official FATHOM experience for the current mode description.